HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  January  10,  1865.- Ordered 
to  be  printed. 

[By  Mr.  Ater. 

The  undersigned,  a  minority  of  the  special  committee  of  five, 
appointed  under  resolution  upon  the  subject  of  conscription,  differ- 
ing from  tlie  majority  of  the  committee,  beg  leave  to  submit  tho 
accompanying  bill,  as  embodying  their  views  upon  the  subject,  and 
recommend  its  adoption  in  lieu  of  the  bill  reported  by  the  majori- 
ty of  the  committee. 

ST.  GEO.  ROGERS, 
LEWIS  M.  AVER. 

AJST    ACT 

To  provide  for  the  moi  at  execution  of  conscription,  and 

for  the  arrest  of  deserters  and  absentees  from  the  arm 

1  The  Congress  of  the    Confederate  States  of  America  do  enact, 

2  That  there  -hall  be  established  at  the  city  of  Richmond,  ui 

3  the  orders  of  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War,   a   Bureau 

4  of  Conscription  for  the  purpose  of  supervising,  controlling  and 

5  directing  all  matters  concerning  the  administration  of  conscrip- 
G  ticn,  end  of  performing  such  other  duties  in  relation  thereto  as, 

7  laiions,  the  Secretary  of  War  may  charge  on  saru    Bu- 

8  reau  :  and  tl  thorizcl  to  assign  to  t'v  superin- 

9  tend  remcnt  of  said  bureau,  such  offi  *er  as  ho 
10     ma-  h  officer  shall  not  be  of  rank  be 

l!  mi  ■■'  moral,  And  provided,  said  officer  shall  not, 

12  durfng  BUcr,  he  hi  exercising  the  office  of  sup 

13  dent,  hold  0]  tnal  military  command  in  the  field 

14  nor  in  the   reserve  forces,  nor  in  any  other  military  organiza- 

15  (ion.     And,  with  like  limitations.  thr>  President  shall  assi/n  to 

16  daty  in  reau,  one  officer  with  ihe  rank  of  colonel,  ono 
IT  -  !th  the  ra"k  of  lieutenant-rolonel.  one  officer  with  tho 
16  iank  of  major,  one  officer  with  the  rank  of  captain,  three  offi- 

witli  the  rank""!  and  such  clerks  as  mar  be 


2 

20  found  necessary;  Provided,  All  such  officers,  except  the  superin- 

21  tendent,  shsll  be  selected  from  the  classes  hereafter  indicated  in 

22  the  sections  of  this  act: 

1  Sec.  2.  There  shall  be  assigned  from  the  general  staff  or  in- 

2  valid  corps,  or  from  officers  certified  by  the  proper  medical 

3  boards  to  be  unfit  for  service  in  the  field,  and  from  drill  masters 

4  now  employed  in  the  enrolling  service,  a  sufficient  number  of 

5  officers  to  perform  the  duties  herein  prescribed  in  the  several 

6  states,  with  the  temporary  rank  of  colonel,  lieutenant-colonel, 

7  major,  captain  or  lieutenant,  according  to  the  nature  and  impor- 

8  lance  of  the  duties  prescribed. 

1  Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  President  may  appoint , 

2  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate:  for  duty  in 

3  the  conscript  service,  with  the  temporary  rank  aforesaid,  per- 

4  sons  from  civil  life;  Provided,  The  said  persons  so  appointed  be 

5  otherwise  excn  pt  from  military  service,  or  found  by  medical 

6  examination  for  light  duty,  or  are  over  the  ag>3  of  forty-five 

7  years. 

1  Sec.  4.  Nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  to  prevent  the 

2  President  from  assigning  to  conscript  service,  officers  now  en- 

3  gaged  in  that  service,  or  officers  in  the  army  of  any  rank. 

1  Sec.  5.  Be  it  further  enac  ed,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 

2  officers  of  conscription,  under  the  coatrol  and  direction  of  the 

3  bureau,  to  make  and  keep  records  of  the  condition  of  the  vari- 

4  ons  branches  of  the  military  service  within  their  respective  dis- 

5  tricts,  and  to  make  monthly  returns  of  the  same  to  the  bureau, 

6  through  the  commandant  of  conscripts  of  the  State,  and  in  fur- 

7  therance  of  this  purpose,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  all  officers  and 

8  others  enployed  in  the  service  of  the  Confederate  States,  and 


3 

9  not  actually  iii  the  field  nor  attached  to  any  army  in  the  field,  in- 

10  eluding  quartermasters  and  commissaries  and  their  agents,  com  - 

11  manders  of  posts,  provost  marshals,  officers  of  the  ordnance, 

12  nitre  and  mining  and  medical  bureaux  and  others,  to  make  cer- 

13  tified  monthly   returns   to  the  nearest  conscript  officer,  of  the 

14  nature  and  exact  condition  of  their  service,  which  returns  shall 

15  be  forwarded  as  above  directed. 

1         Sec.  6.  Generals  commanding  the  reserve  forces  shall  be   re- 

'2  quired,    on  the  demand  of  the  commandant  of  conscripts   for 

3  the  State,  to  place  at  his  disposal  and  for  the  enforcement  of  the 

4  duties  imposed  upon  him,  such  detachments  of  the  reserve  forces 

5  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

1  Sec.  7.  For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  granting  of  de- 

2  tails  and  exemptions  under  the  act  of  the  17th  day  of  February, 

3  1864,  to  persons  who  may  be  more  useful  to  the  country  in  ag- 

4  ricultural  and  mechanical  pirsuits  than  in  the  military  service, 

5  there  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President  in  each  county,  dis- 

6  trict  or  parish,  an  agricultural  board,  consisting  of  three  farui- 

7  ers  or  planters  over  the  age  of  fifty  years,  to  whom  shall  be  re 

8  ferred  by  the  county,  district  or  parish  enrolling  offi  :er.  e. 

9  application  for  a  detail  in  their  respective  counties  bi  or 

10  parishes  ;  and  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  enquire  an  1  pep  >:t  up- 

11  on  the  merits  of  such  applisations,  which  vo\)  >rt,  with  the  appli- 

12  cation,  -hall    be  forwarded  to   the   commandant  of  o 
1,3  for  •  if  lie  apj 

II  shall  be  allowed,     [f  the  commandant  of  conscrip 

15  such  application,  the  applicant  shall  have  the  right  of  app  • 

16  the  superintendent  of  the  bureau  of  conssripl 
17  ion  shall  be  final. 


; 

1  Sec.  S.  There  shall  be  assigned  to  each  congreebional  district 

■2.  a  medical  board   consisting  of  three  surgeons,  at  least  one  of 

3  whom   shall  be    an  army  surgeon,  who,  after  due  notice  of  the 

4  time  and  place  of  their  meeting,  shall,  under  the  direction  of 

5  the  commandant  of  conscripts,  visit  each  county  of  the  district 

0  at  least  once  in  every  two  months,  and  shall  examine   for    dis- 

7  charge   or   recommendation  for  light  duty,   all  conscripts  who 

8  may  be  brought  before  them,     Every  discharge  granted  by  the 

9  said  medical  board  shall  be  final,  and  shall  relieve  the  party  so 

10  discharged  from  all  military  service  in  the   future,  when   the 

1 1  disability  is  permanent  and  the  cause  of  it  is  sei  forth  in  the 

12  certificate. 

1  Sec.  9.  The  power  to  order  general  court  martial?,  assigned 

2  in  the  65th  article  of  war  to  general  officers  commanding  armies, 

3  or  colonels  commanding  separate   departments,   is  heveby  ex- 

4  tended  to  the  general  or  field  officer  acting  as  superintendent  of 

5  conscription,  in  all  cases  of  persons  attached  to  the  conscript 
G  service  or  under  his  orders,  other  than  general   officers.     He 

7  shall  also  have  power  to  order  courts  of  inquiry  in  like  cases, 

8  under  the  condition  of  the  92d  article  of  war.  The  general  court 
0  martial  hereby  authorized  to  be  ordered,  shall  not  be  composed 

10  of  less  than  three  nor  more  than  seven  member*,  who  shall  be 

1 1  selected  from  among  any  officers  of  the  invalid  corps,  or  drill- 

12  masters,  or  officers  of  the  general  staff  or  line  of  the  army  who 

13  may  be  at  the  time  attached  to  the  conscript  service,  whether  by 

14  transfer  or  temporary  assignment,  including  the  detachments  of 

15  reserve  forces,  herein  before  provided  for  in  section  6th.  of  this 

16  act. 


